1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to static structures and the handrails found therein, and, in particular, to a handrail adjoining a stair that is configured to minimize the risk of one falling on the stairs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Handrails are well known parts of multi-story buildings that are primarily used for the purpose of trying to prevent a person from falling when ascending or descending a stairway.
However, despite the use of handrails, each year thousands of people die and tens of thousands are injured from falls on stairways in their homes and in other places. Several conventional devices have been developed in order to reduce the number of injuries resulting from ascending or descending a stairway.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,832 discloses a stairway safety suspension support apparatus. This apparatus provides a plurality of loops along the stairway which a person can grasp in the event of a fall.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,287 discloses a step walker for use in conjunction with a stairway. In this apparatus, a walking bar is temporarily positioned within guide slots as the person walks up or down the stairway.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,989 discloses an alternative to the standard or conventional stairway handrail. This alternative includes a rail that is secured to a wall adjacent a stairway. However, the configuration of this rail is such that the rail itself is not meant to be grabbed and held in the standard manner by one traversing the stairway. Instead, the rail has a bore that extends along the longitudinal extent of the rail and, through a slit opening in the side of the bore, receives one end of a handle that is slidable on the side of the rail and along its longitudinal extent. The other end of the handle has a loop which is held and pushed by one who is traversing the stairway so as to cause the handle to slide along the rail. The stated advantage of this alternative is that its handle can be gripped at all times so that a user in traversing a stairway does not have to grip, release and regrip the rail—thus supposedly decreasing the likelihood of a accident by eliminating the periods when a rail is not being gripped or held.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,297 discloses a waist-wrapped, safety harness which one wears when ascending and descending a stairway. This safety harness has a tether which is looped around an adjoining tubular handrail that is supported only at its ends.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,058 discloses a handrail whose cross-sectional shape is especially configured so that it sits further away from an adjoining wall and thereby makes it easier for one to grasp and lean on such a handrail so as to prevent a stairway fall. U.S. Pat. No. 7,093,825 also has a handrail with a uniquely shaped cross-section that seeks to help prevent stairway falls and other dangers during a broader spectrum of movements.
With the number of elderly people in the U.S. on the rise, there is a continuing need for improvements in handrails that will make people's movements on stairways safer.